Cast announced for Octagon’s The Book Thief

[clockwise] Ryan O’Donnell, Daniel Krikler, Danielle Henry, Jack Lord, Alfie Corbett, Bea Glancy, Charlie Murphy and Niamh Palmer have been cast in The Book Thief at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton

Featuring a script by award-winning author Jodi Picoult (My Sister’s Keeper) and Timothy Allen McDonald (adaptor of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka and James and the Giant Peach), and music and lyrics by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson (Olaf’s Frozen Adventure), the musical which is due to receive its world premiere in Bolton from 17 September until 15 October is directed by the Octagon’s artistic director Lotte Wakeham.

The cast is headed by Ryan O’Donnell (The Serpent, BBCTV, Quadrophenia, Plymouth Theatre Royal) as the Narrator with Jack Lord (A Christmas Carol, Leeds Playhouse, West Side Story, Royal Exchange) as Hans Hubermann, Danielle Henry (Doctors, BBC TV, After Life, National Theatre) as Rosa Hubermann, and Daniel Krikler (Present Laughter, The Old Vic, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Universal Pictures) as Max Vandenburg.

They will be joined by four young actors – Bea Glancy and Niamh Palmer sharing the role of Liesel and Alfie Corbett and Charlie Murphy sharing the role of Rudy.

The ensemble is completed by Purvi Parmar (The Jungle Book, Chester Storyhouse, Peter Pan, Octagon Theatre Bolton), Katy Clayton (The Band, Theatre Royal Haymarket and UK tour, A Taste of Honey, Trafalgar Studios), Victoria Brazier (Pride & Prejudice, Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, The Secret Garden, York Theatre Royal/Theatre by the Lake), Ida Regan (4 Walls, Derby Theatre, Beauty and the Beast, The Dukes Lancaster), Duane Gooden (The Jungle Book, Fairfield Halls, The Smartest Giant in Town, Little Angel Theatre/Fiery Light), Andrew Whitehead (A Christmas Carol, Hull Truck Theatre, Brassic, Sky) and Matthew Heywood (Peter Pan, Octagon Theatre Bolton, Zorro, Hope Mill Theatre).

Commenting on the cast, Wakeham said: “I am delighted that we’ve assembled such an exceptional cast for the world premiere production of The Book Thief. We were truly amazed by the outstanding level of talent we saw throughout the audition process and I am very excited to work with this incredibly gifted company of actors.

“They have outstanding theatre credentials from the West End to international touring, and I’m also thrilled that so many of them hail from Greater Manchester – we’ve been fortunate to draw from an extraordinary talent pool. Casting our young performers in the crucial roles of Liesel and Rudy has also been a real joy and I think audiences will be blown away by them.

“Based on Markus Zusak’s worldwide best-selling novel, this brand-new musical promises a spectacular theatrical experience for all, with a beautifully poignant script, sensational musical score and a visually stunning design. Add in stellar performances from our talented cast of adults and children, The Book Thief promises to be the must-see production of this autumn.”

The Book Thief will be choreographed by Tom Jackson Greaves (Amélie, Criterion Theatre; Rent, Hope Mill Theatre), with musical direction and orchestrations by Matthew Malone (Coming to England, Birmingham Rep; Peter Pan, Octagon Theatre) and design from Good Teeth (James Perkins and Victoria Smart – The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare’s Globe, Little Shop of Horrors, Royal Exchange Manchester).

The production will also feature lighting design by Nic Farman (The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, UK tour, Spring Awakening, Hope Mill Theatre), puppet design by Samuel Wilde (The Fir Tree, Shakespeare’s Globe, Electra, Bunker Theatre), sound design by Andy Graham (The Upstart Crow, Apollo Theatre; One Man, Two Guvnors, Octagon Theatre), associate director Georgia Wang Murphy (Cyrano de Bergerac, Southwark Playhouse, Frills and Spills, Camden People’s Theatre), associate musical director George Strickland (Good Fun, King’s Head Theatre, The Regulars, Hope Mill Theatre), casting director Jacob Sparrow (City of Angels, Garrick Theatre, Our Town, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), assistant casting director Olivia Barr (Kes, Peter Pan, Octagon Theatre) and production manager Dan Turner (The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Duke of York’s Theatre).

Angela Thomas

Picture credits: Ryan O’Donnell (Phil Sharp), Daniel Krikler (Andy Brown), Danielle Henry (Simon Mayhew), Jack Lord (Kevin Patzke), Alfie Corbett (Brian O Hanlon), Bea Glancy (Kathryn Vasco), Charlie Murphy (John Clark) and Niamh Palmer.